Concussions

“If it’s a accidental hit, that could be have been avoided, just because you’re stupid and you just skated the wrong way, but you hit the guy, fine, 20-game suspension,” said Melynk. “If it’s truly accidental and the guy just ran into you, you know what, give the guy a break. But, if it’s a deliberate hit you should not be in any game of hockey. I don’t care what anybody says, ‘We need some violence, we need this.’ Go to wrestling. Go to cage fighting. Don’t do it in the hockey game with elite players.
“There’s no excuse. Zero tolerance. You’re gone. Period. Stop.”

I'm happy to hear this from our owner. He sometimes says things without thinking or seemingly without thinking but this makes a lot of sense (to me at least) when most others imo are not taking this seriously enough. Might be a little strict if he's talking about one hit and you're out, but he's on the right track.
Thoughts?

Yeah my thoughts exactly. I'm not huge on staged fighting. If guys tempers boil over and there's a brawl that's inspired by events on the ice, let them go at it. However the enforcer of today is little more than an MMA sideshow on ice. Not needed at all.

As for hitting, it just boils down to a lack of respect for your opponent. Those stanchion hits are rarely accidental and guys know where they are on the ice. It's no different than pushing someone into an open door which is just as dangerous. It's one of those things that you just don't do.

You can write a million little rules, but if guys want to play dirty, they'll always figure out new ways to take advantage of players who are in a vulnerable position.

Not a big fan of the comments to be honest. I can't be the only one that was thinking "this coming from a guy who pays Chris Neil...".

NHL is fine the way it is, rather than looking for ways to do the impossible and eliminate headshots, the league should continue step back and examine ways to effective get rid of the unnecessary cheap shots. Handing out lifetime bans? Not so much.

Not a big fan of the comments to be honest. I can't be the only one that was thinking "this coming from a guy who pays Chris Neil...".

NHL is fine the way it is, rather than looking for ways to do the impossible and eliminate headshots, the league should continue step back and examine ways to effective get rid of the unnecessary cheap shots. Handing out lifetime bans? Not so much.

By your logic no owner should speak out as every team has a player who is dirty at times.

You skate with your head down you deserve a concussion sorry but it's true and I hate to have to be the guy to say it. If the game was allowed to be enforced by the players people like Matt Cooke would think twice before they blind side somebody. I think it should go both ways you get hit if you skate with your head down, and if you hit someone like that you deserve the beating you should take. Tough to protect your team mates when you will be suspended for 20 games for stepping in + with how close playoff races are these days you can't give the opposition power play's because every game counts. Get rid of the instigator rule and let players know, you hit someone in a vulnerable position you run the risk of being beat down. You skate with your head down or admire your passes you shouldn't be in the NHL.

You skate with your head down you deserve a concussion sorry but it's true and I hate to have to be the guy to say it. If the game was allowed to be enforced by the players people like Matt Cooke would think twice before they blind side somebody. I think it should go both ways you get hit if you skate with your head down, and if you hit someone like that you deserve the beating you should take. Tough to protect your team mates when you will be suspended for 20 games for stepping in + with how close playoff races are these days you can't give the opposition power play's because every game counts. Get rid of the instigator rule and let players know, you hit someone in a vulnerable position you run the risk of being beat down. You skate with your head down or admire your passes you shouldn't be in the NHL.

I don't know about "deserve", but that is the way the game is played right now and that is why things need to change. How about, if you skate with your head down, you get hit. Why do players need to get concussed?

Do whatever it takes to make the players safe. It doesn't have to ruin the game of hockey. Just make some discipline adjustments, raise the fines and accountability and fix up the equipment. The hard hits can stay, but players will need to be a little smarter and more responsible.

It's not the shoulder to shoulder hits anyone is talking about, it's the charging&boarding, elbow to face, hand on head, head on stanchion hits that are not acceptable.

There were a number of situations that could have been avoided IMO if the refs would have called something. Take Trevor Gillies for example, if the refs would have called Cooke on that hit from behind with a major & game misconduct there may not have been a brawl with Pitt. He should have also been suspended for 10 games. If the ref would have called Clutterbuck with a hit from behind Gillies would not have plastered him into the boards because NYI would have had a PP. A lot of times the refs have to take more responsibility to prevent things from getting worse.

The ref should have called Steckel with interference for the late hit on Crosby, you see him skating away on the video not doing anything, it goes on & on. Make the calls that are already there in the rule book & prevent stuff from getting out of hand. There are two refs & two linesmen, if the ref doesn't see an infraction allow the linesmen to tell him, if they see it. Allow the ref to go to video review when something bad happens to see who & what started the problem & charge them with penalties appropriately. Make all four responsible for controlling & patrolling the game & kick guys out of the game like Cooke & Clutterbuck who constantly hit guys in the back when they are up against the glass & vulnerable. I would also get rid of the instigator rule, the trapazoid & allow to run some interference on forwards running down defencemen. Just a thought.

I don't think a lot of these headshots can be classified under "he had his head down." A lot of them are just guys charging at people and hitting them before the puck is there or too long after it's left.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragorn

The ref should have called Steckel with interference for the late hit on Crosby, you see him skating away on the video not doing anything, it goes on & on. Make the calls that are already there in the rule book & prevent stuff from getting out of hand.

I agree in principle but the Crosby-Steckel thing was pretty much just Crosby running into Steckel. There are some instances where what the aggressor did just doesn't feel right despite being technically legal and might be worth suspending. This one was really just a guy bumping into another guy and getting a concussion.

I like that pic of Eug in the Citizen. Did he dye his hair blonde now that the wife left, or is just the lighting?

But c'mon, tell me he doesnt look like Rodney "I dont get no respect" Dangerfield in that picture.

I can see Melnyks thinking. If you look at the stunning success of the zero tolerance rules given to refs in the nhl, so that they no longer manage the game, its black or its white, everything is easy peasy now. No one ever complains about calls anymore because they used the tried and tested simple rule that always works - zero tolerance. Just say no. So why not try that with head shots. All the problems will be solved by a turn of a simple phrase.

I think what Melnyk was referring to, at least i hope, was the guys that go around deliberately taking head shots. Should be the same for knee shots really imo. But he wants those agitators out of the game. And if qualifies it that way, i can understand his outburst. misguided as the silly principle behind it is.

But again, as usual when Eug speaks, he speaks with his heart as a fan, not as a member of the owners inner circle